Purifying my van-funk

Over the course of the past few months, living full-time in a small confined space like my van, it has become apparent that I was in need of some way to ‘purify’ the air in here.

First and foremost, I am a man… and just like any guy, all alone, we know how to stink a place up. The van is pretty good at being air-tight, which is great to block out the sounds and smells you do not want in, but it also prevents the smells from leaving the small space.

Secondly, because I have been parking and camping on dirt for the most part (dirt roads, truck stops, etc) I am tracking a lot of dust into the van. What is an annoyance at home is quite bothersome in a van. My laptops are getting clogged up with dust, and I blame some of my recent insomnia on difficulty in breathing through my nose at night.

And lastly, I have Psoriasis, an immune-mediated disease that affects the skin, although minor in comparison to what I see in pictures online. My Psoriasis causes me to regenerate skin at a faster rate than normal, in a few areas like my knees and elbows. This new skins causes the old skin to flake off, causing ‘man-dander’ for lack of better term. I know, it sounds much worse than it really is, but it is a factor when sleeping in the same sleeping bag night over night.

So, today i broke down and bought my first ever Air Purifier at Walmart (they deserve my business since I sleep in their lots so often). A simple, and small (very key) Holmes AER1 Desktop Air Purifier ($32) and wouldn’t you know, it consumes less than 1 Amp of power on low setting. I can plug this guy in even when on battery power, which is a nice bonus for those days I have ample sunlight.

I am hoping that, over time, the smells, dust, and man-dander will clear up and i will be able to sleep more soundly with a clear nose. Fingers crossed… I really need the help :)